Remember these celebrity appearances in 'Seinfeld'?
The legendary Raquel Welch was one of many celebrities who made an appearance in the sitcom 'Seinfeld.' Some famous actors and actresses would play a role, but others - like Welch - played themselves in some of the most hilarious cameos of TV history.
In the sitcom about his life, the comedian Jerry Seinfeld obviously played himself. The character lived in a New York apartment and got into all kinds of weird situations with his friends Kramer, George, and Elaine. In between the scenes, he did some bits of his stand-up routine.
Created in the late 1980s by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the series won numerous awards and is continuing to be a big hit on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
With continuing deals like Netflix's $500 million for five years of streaming rights, Jerry Seinfeld has never really had to work anymore after his show ended.
Who else appeared in the successful comedy, playing themselves?
Marisa Tomei was already famous by the time she appeared in 'Seinfeld' in 1996. She had even won an Oscar for 'My Cousin Vinny' in 1992.
George was not only a fan of Marisa Tomei in the series, but he also had a secret crush on her. Alas, when he finally got to meet Marisa Tomei, George was engaged to Susan. It was extra painful because Tomei had a particular preference for short, stocky, bald guys with a sense of humor - just like George. It happened in season 7, episode 14, 'The Cadillac'.
After her successes in the 90s, Marisa Tomei continued to make acclaimed films over the years. One of her best-known roles was that of Peter Parker's aunt, May Parker, in the Spiderman sagas. She also shone in movies like 'The Big Short' (2015) and 'The King of Staten Island' (2020).
Bette Midler has been very famous as a Broadway and Hollywood actress since the seventies. She won a Tony in 1974, a Golden Globe in 1980 and 1992, a Grammy for 'The Wind Beneath My Wings' in 1990, and several other awards over the decades.
Midler played herself in 'Seinfeld's season six finale, episode 23, 'The Understudy.' She got hurt during a softball incident with George and was unable to play her starring role in the Broadway musical 'Rochelle, Rochelle.' Kramer ended up taking care of the star.
The multitalented star continues to work in showbiz. In 1996, she made 'The First Wives Club' together with Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton. One of her recent films has been 'Hocus Pocus 2,' while she also played a hilarious character in the Netflix series 'The Politician.'
A New York-based sitcom like 'Seinfeld' is bound to have a local political celebrity in one of its episodes. That role was for Rudy Giuliani who became mayor of New York City in 1994.
Giuliani played himself in the episode 'The Non-Fat Yogurt' in 1993. At that point, he was still a candidate for mayor, but 'Seinfeld' had him win the elections based on rumors about hidden fat in the then-popular 'healthy' snack, frozen yogurt.
Fast forward to the 2020s, Giuliani has gone to the national level of politics but not with unequivocal success. As he tried to argue that Donald Trump had won his reelection in 2020, he was even mocked on social media by former 'Seinfeld' star Julia Louis-Dreyfus for having his hair dye run across his face. You could say that 'Seinfeld' captured Giuliani both at the beginning and at the end of his career.
This veteran actress had decades of experience, as she'd started her career in the 60s as a sensual movie icon. In fact, she was the subject of a bad joke in a 'Seinfeld' episode, referring to her 'buoys'. Thankfully, however, in the episode where she herself appeared, there was nothing but respect for Raquel Welch.
She played herself in season 8, episode 22, 'The Summer of George'. In this funny episode, Kramer accepted a Tony Award because of a mix-up, and the makers of the awarded show let him keep the statuette as long as he'd be able to fire the combative star Rachel Welch from the production.
Raquel Welch continued to act after 'Seinfeld,' albeit less than before. Among her last appearances were the TV movie 'House of Versace' (2013), 'The Ultimate Legacy' (2016), and 'How to be a Latin Lover' (2017). She passed away in February 2023.
This popular baseball player was at the top of his game in the MLB during the 70s and 80s. He played with the St Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets, winning a World Series title with each of them. He retired in 1991.
George was star-struck when he and Jerry ran into former MLB player Keith Hernandez in the locker room of their gym. Hernandez, for his part, turned out to be a fan of Jerry's standup. They developed a 'bromance' that, unfortunately, only lasted for one double episode. Elaine, meanwhile, had a brief fling with the baseball legend as well.
While the Yankees featured most in the sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld is a Mets fan. He threw the first pitch of a 2005 game between the Yankees and the Mets with Keith Hernandez by his side. The former player now mostly works as a commentator for baseball games.
The actor, born in 1976, became known for his work as a child actor in the 80s. 'The Wonder Years' made him most famous, as he was the protagonist of the nostalgic drama series for 115 episodes. The show ran until 1993.
Fred Savage appeared in the Seinfeld episode 'The Trip' in 1992, when he was still at the height of his fame with 'The Wonder Years.' He met Kramer when the New Yorker lived in Los Angeles for a while, trying to make it as an actor. Running into Savage in a café, Kramer started a conversation that chased the star off pretty quickly, thanks to Kramer's nervousness and antiques.
The actor has continued to work in film and TV but it has not always been easy to overcome the expectations of child stardom. Both in the later seasons of 'The Wonder Years' and in a more recent production, 'The Grinder' (2018) Savage has been accused of improper behavior. He was even fired as executive producer of a 'Wonder Years' reboot in 2022.
Here we have another guest star on 'Seinfeld' whose career has not been without controversy. One of Jon Voight's most famous movies is 'Midnight Cowboy' from 1969 (image). The film was even parodied in a 'Seinfeld' episode, where Jerry and George reenacted the final scene of the film: Voight's and Dustin Hoffmann's characters returning home from New York City in the back of a bus.
The actor himself appeared in the sitcom when George bought a used car which, according to the dealer, belonged to a John Voight (with an 'h' in the first name) in the past. Running into the actor in the city, George decided to seek confirmation of the dealer's claim, but Jon Voight got annoyed by his questions and bit him in the arm.
In the later years of his career, Jon Voight would play some notable 'tough guy' parts - for example in 'Mission: Impossible' (photo) - but mostly, he would make headlines for his conservative views and his support of Donald Trump.